A.J. Pierzynski
Anthony John "A.J." Pierzynski Peer-zin-skee (born December 30, 1976) is an American Major League Baseball catcher who has played for the Chicago White Sox since . Pierzynski formerly played with the Minnesota Twins (1998-2003) and San Francisco Giants (2004). Pierzynski was also a wrestler for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Pierzynski had the longest streak of consecutive error-less games among active Major League catchers (150). A.J. made the 2002 American League All-Star Team as a reserve catcher while playing for the Minnesota Twins. Biography Anthony John Pierzynski was born December 30, 1976 in Bridgehampton, New York."A.J. Pierzynski," Player File, Biography, Chicago White Sox, official website. Retrieved 18 May 2007. He attended Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, Florida, where he won All-State honors in baseball. New York Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon was one of Pierzynski's high school teammates. He graduated high school in 1994 and also signed a letter of intent to play baseball at the University of Tennessee.. AJ's rookie year in the MLB was 1998. He is currently married to Lisa Pierzynski. The couple has two children, Ava and Austin. AJ also has been given the nickname "The Polish Prince" this was given to him by his teammates. He is a large fan favorite by Sox fans due to his hard play and attitude. Major League career Pierzynski was drafted by the Minnesota Twins on June 2, 1994, out of high school. After four years in the Twins organization, he was called up to the Major League team, and made his debut on September 9, 1998. He spent the next five seasons, through the season, with Minnesota, though he was not a regular starter until . From - , he appeared in just 49 games for the Twins. In the 2002 American League Division Series, Pierzynski hit an important home run in the ninth inning of the final game, in which the Twins clinched the series. In 2003, Pierzynski reached a .312 batting average, a career high that still stands."A.J. Pierzynski," Career stats, Chicago White Sox, official website. Retrieved 18 May 2007. After the season, the Twins traded Pierzynski to the San Francisco Giants for Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano, and Boof Bonser. He spent one season in San Francisco before being signed as a free agent by the Chicago White Sox on January 6, 2005."A.J. Pierzynski," Transactions, Baseball-reference.com, Retrieved 18 May 2007. In , Pierzynski was named one of the five American League players in the All-Star Final Vote. Soon afterwards the Chicago White Sox organization began an election campaign using the slogan "Punch A.J." Pierzynski received 3.6 million votes, the most votes in the American League, subsequently sending him to his second All-Star appearance. The "Punch A.J." campaign was inspired by an incident on May 20, 2006 between Pierzynski and Chicago Cubs Catcher Michael Barrett. After a fly ball out, Pierzynski tagged up at 3rd and tried to score on the throw. After a collision at home, where Pierzynski knocked Barrett from his feet, Pierzynski slapped home plate with his hand. As he was getting up, he bumped into Barrett, and Barrett grabbed Pierzynski and punched him. A bench clearing brawl ensued, and Pierzynski, Barrett, White Sox outfielder Brian Anderson and Cubs first baseman John Mabry were ejected. "http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2452050 Pierzynski and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Pierzynski was involved in a controversial play that occurred on October 12, 2005 in Game 2 of the 2005 American League Championship Series versus the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. With the score tied and two out in the bottom of the ninth, with two strikes, Pierzynski swung at a low pitch from Angels pitcher Kelvim Escobar and missed, for strike three. Josh Paul, the Angels catcher, rolled the ball to the mound and left the infield. Pierzynski realized strike three had been called, but he had not been called out and ran to first base in case the umpire had ruled that the Angels catcher had not legally caught the strike three pitch (see Uncaught third strike rule). Home plate umpire Doug Eddings indeed ruled that the ball hit the ground and then went into the catcher's glove, meaning Pierzynski was safe at first. A pinch-runner, Pablo Ozuna, replaced Pierzynski and stole second base. Third baseman Joe Crede delivered a base hit three pitches later, scoring Ozuna for the winning run. Controversies During a 2004 Spring Training game, while catching, Pierzynski took a pitch to the groin and fell instantly to the ground in pain. Trainer Stan Conte rushed from the dugout to his side and immediately inquired, "how does it feel?" AJ responded directly by saying, "like this" and kneed Conte in the groin, dropping him to the ground. A May 2006 issue of Sports Illustrated featured a survey taken among 470 baseball players about what player they would most like to see get beaned. Pierzynski received eighteen percent of the vote, higher than any other player. Forty-two percent of those surveyed in the AL Central Division (which the White Sox play in) voted for Pierzynski. On May 28, 2007, in a game versus the Minnesota Twins, Pierzynski twice ran down the first base line with his feet on the inside of the base, possibly nipping Twins first baseman Justin Morneau with his spikes. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire was furious with the umpires, which resulted in a long tirade. However, he was not ejected. Pierzynski denied any attempt to step on Morneau. Professional wrestling On December 8, 2005, A.J. Pierzynski appeared on TNA iMPACT!, a professional wrestling television program aired by the professional wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Accompanied by White Sox strength trainer Dale Torborg, Pierzynski presented TNA wrestlers A.J. Styles, Chris Sabin and Sonjay Dutt with memorabilia from the 2005 World Series. At the ceremony, an incident was staged to include Pierzynski in a controversy with the wrestlers. Pierzynski then made his professional wrestling managerial debut at TNA Turning Point 2005 on December 11, 2005, accompanying Torborg, Sabin and Dutt to ringside for their match against the Diamonds in the Rough. On October 10, 2006, Pierzynski appeared on ESPN2's Cold Pizza, wearing the X-Division Championship belt, and challenged WWE Champion John Cena, who was also a guest that morning, to a Title vs. Title steel cage match whenever Cena wanted to have it. References External links * *Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers *A.J. Pierzynski at The Internet Movie Database Category:Major league players from New York Category:Major league catchers Category:American League All-Stars Category:Minnesota Twins players Category:San Francisco Giants players Category:Chicago White Sox players